80 Movie Memes That Hit Harder If You Know The Reference

A poll of 2,000 Americans conducted by Talker Research found that, on average, they believe they’ve watched their favorite movie 38 times, with Millennials leading the pack at an estimated 50 times, followed closely by Gen Z at 49 times.

Forrest Gump has been named the all-time favorite movie most often (17%), ahead of The Wizard of Oz (15%) and Titanic (15%).

The 1994 animated, coming-of-age story The Lion King (15%) ranked fourth, and the classic romantic drama Dirty Dancing (15%) rounded out the top five.

However, different generations are into different movies. For example, Shrek is a staple for Gen Z, along with Toy Story (25%) and the newer, now-classic Avengers: Endgame (24%).

Despite premiering before they were even born, the Jurassic Park series was also found to be popular with youngsters (16%).

They also like the Harry Potter series (15%), though it’s slightly more appreciated among Millennials (16%).

According to the survey, a little more than one-third of Gen Z (34%) believe the soundtrack can make or break a movie.

Almost three in five (56%) even admit that their all-time favorite movie could be categorized as a guilty pleasure.

Millennials also believe they can recite almost half of their favorite movies by heart (48%), compared to Baby Boomers, who average about 23%.

This may be because a little more than a third of Millennials rewatch their favorite movie either daily (12%), a few times per week (12%), or once per week (11%), while a fifth (19%) of Baby Boomers only indulge every few months.

Taking things a step further, the average American believes they could watch their favorite movie three times in a row without getting sick of it, with Gen Z averaging five times.

SPOILER ALERT. When it comes to specific movie moments, a poll of 2,000 UK adults found that the most emotional scenes of all time are considered to be:

1. Titanic (1997) – “I’ll never let go, Jack”: Rose clings to Jack in their freezing final moments in the Atlantic (67%).
2. The Lion King (1994) – Mufasa’s Passing: Simba pleads with his father to wake up after the stampede — pure heartbreak for generations (59%).
3. The Green Mile (1999) – John Coffey’s Execution: “I’m tired, boss…” — a gentle giant’s final moments leave everyone reeling (39%).
4. Forrest Gump (1994) – Forrest at Jenny’s Grave: Forrest shares his love and pride with Jenny, pouring his heart out in a quiet, devastating moment (36%).
5. Schindler’s List (1993) – “I could have done more”: Schindler breaks down with guilt, mourning the lives he couldn’t save despite saving hundreds (35%).

Interestingly, the survey also found that almost half (47%) of Brits watch more than five hours of movies on their phone every week, with over a quarter (26%) admitting to streaming at work. I guess scrolling memes doesn’t even count after that!